Upgrades to Public Safety Radios

The City Commission adopted an ordinance at its Sept. 25 meeting authorizing an expenditure of approximately $1.2 million for the purchase of new digital radios for the Pompano Beach District of the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO).

Pompano! magazine’s City Beat Reporter Marie Puleo. She can be emailed at puleo.marie@gmail.com

By Marie Puelo

The City Commission adopted an ordinance at its Sept. 25 meeting authorizing an expenditure of approximately $1.2 million for the purchase of new digital radios for the Pompano Beach District of the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO). The new radios are needed because Broward County, which runs the public safety radio system for all county agencies, is replacing its outdated analog radio system with a digital system that will be compliant with P25 radios. P25 is a standard for the manufacturing of interoperable digital two-way wireless communications products.

The new state-of-the-art radio system will include denser coverage, more talk paths, higher levels of redundancy, and improved interoperability with other agencies, which will boost service to citizens during emergency situations. The City will be purchasing over 300 radios. Payment for the radios will take place over a three-year period, starting in fiscal year 2019-2020.

Major John Hale, Police Chief, said 14 of the radios will be provided to the City’s park rangers and animal control officers who currently have City radios, but not police radios that can be used to call the dispatch center for assistance. Civilian versions of the radios will be provided to Citizen Observer Patrol (COP) volunteers.

If the City’s agreement with BSO for law enforcement services were ever terminated, BSO would transfer ownership of the P25 radios to the City. All cities that contract their police services with BSO are going through the process of upgrading their radios. In addition, the Pompano Beach Fire Department has been purchasing similar equipment.